A number of different vehicles utilize some type of enhanced front bumper structure suitable for pushing other vehicles. Typically, emergency vehicles such as police vehicles, tow trucks and other emergency response vehicles are provided with a suitably strengthened front bumper which allows the vehicle to push another vehicle for limited distances. In most instances, the pushing activities engaged in by police and other service vehicles involves short distance pushing from behind to allow a disabled or encumbered vehicle to be pushed out of a hazardous or high use position such as a street or freeway lane to a more suitable off the road such as shoulder position.
The typical enhanced bumper utilized by police vehicles and the like comprises a pair of vertical enlarged bumper members which are joined by one or more cross bars. The vertical members and cross bar combination are supported in front of the conventional bumpers of the vehicle. In some instances, the enhanced high strength bumpers are secured to a suitable support or suitable support points provided in the vehicle structure. In other instances, the bumpers are secured to the conventional bumper attachment points within the vehicle. In either event, the object is to provide a suitably robust high-strength front bumper structure which allows the host vehicle to be able to push inoperative vehicles for short distances. While presently available enhanced front bumpers utilized by police vehicles and other emergency responders have enjoyed some success, they remain subject to several limitations.
The most common type of enhanced bumper utilized by police and other emergency vehicles includes a pair of robust vertical structural members positioned ahead of the conventional front bumper of the vehicle. The robust vertical structural members are secured to the vehicle support system. The vertical members are further supported by a plurality of cross members which may also be utilized to support one or more emergency lights or sounding apparatus.
One of the serious limitations of the conventional vertical member type enhanced bumpers described above arises in that the entire strength of the enhanced bumper system resides in the two vertical spaced apart structural members. The cross bars are frequently lighter in scale and often function primarily to support auxiliary apparatus such as lights and sounding devices. In addition, such vertical structural member type enhanced bumper systems often fail to “match up” with certain types of vehicle rear bumpers or certain “atypical” structured vehicles such as small service trucks, pickups or vans.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,153 issued to Murray, et al. sets forth a PUSH BUMPER having a pair of vertical structural members together with apparatus for securing the vertical members to a conventional vehicle bumper. The vertical members are joined by a generally planar cross member which defines a generally V-shaped frontal portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,164 issued to Setina sets forth an AUXILIARY PUSH BUMPER FOR MOTOR VEHICLE which is clamped to the original bumper of the host vehicle by brackets attached to bumper guards on the push bumper. The push bumper is fabricated of a plurality of bumper sections formed of extruded aluminum and having ends which are releasably attached to the bumper guards for easy repair of the push bumper. In one embodiment, the push bumper includes a center section formed of an extruded aluminum U-shaped channel with a diagonal stiffening plated inserted into the channel. The center section is fastened at its opposed ends to a pair of bumper guards. A pair of curved side sections are fastened at their inner ends to the bumper guard plates and are further fastened at their outer ends to the frame of the host vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,773 issued to Storer sets forth a PUSH BAR MOUNTING SYSTEM for mounting a push bar to a vehicle bumper without significant damage to the bumper. The system includes a front and rear bracket mounted to an inner bumper of the vehicle and having top and bottom mounting tabs extending away from the inner bumper. The brackets are configured to attach to the inner bumper of the vehicle without drilling mounting holes therein. Additionally, the mounting tabs are configured to extend through a bumper fascia that surrounds the inner bumper.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,466 issued to Norlin sets forth a VEHICLE BUMPER ASSEMBLY having at least one profiled preferably U-shaped beam or the like adapted to be securely mounted to the frame and/or the bumper of a host vehicle. This mounting is carried forward whereby the outer contours of the bumper are located outside the vehicle body and are active in the shock absorbing capacity. The beam is provided with a plurality of stays or plates which extend transversely between the longitudinally extending limb portions of the beam and which divide the beam into pocket-like sections in which the inserts are individually mounted and arranged. The inserts preferably comprise cellular blocks and consist of a number of tubes of semi-elastic or plastic material.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have to some extent improved the art and have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing and unresolved need in the art for evermore improved robust vehicle bumper apparatus suitable for use in pushing other vehicles.